Saints and Angels
by Lady Khera
Summary: A new student transfers to Han 'a High and proves to be much more than she seems.
1. Chapter 1

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: This story deals with sexual and physical abuse and also contains other adult content. If the topics of abuse and/or sex make you uncomfortable, please do not read this fic. Consider yourself warned…I don't want any angry reviews telling me that you were not prepared for the topics discussed.  
  
Maia Rainsong sighed with frustration as she half-listened to her father discuss the situation surrounding their move with the principal of Han'a'High. Nicolas Rainsong was being extremely persistent in trying to make special arrangements for his daughter's comfort. You'd think he was the one who'd been raped and forced to move to a new school, she thought dryly. The problem was, she didn't want special treatment. As a new student, she was already going to be an outsider. As an American gypsy who looked as though she had a black mother and a white father, it was going to be even worse. Being given special treatment on top of all of that? She didn't even want to think about the hell her life would be at school then.  
  
"Well Mr. Rainsong," the principal started apologetically, "I had arranged for one of my top students to show Maia around. Rowen, however, is male. I can find a female student to show her around instead..."  
  
"No please!" Maia said, speaking up for the first time, "This Rowen guy can show me around. I'll be fine."  
  
"Are you sure Maia?" her father asked.  
  
Maia nodded with a courageous smile, "Yes Papa, I'll be just fine."  
  
Nicolas sighed, worried about his daughter yet proud of her at the same time. "It's your choice, I guess."  
  
The principal stood as he glanced at the clock. "Well, the assembly is about to begin. Ready to be introduced Maia?"  
  
The raven-haired girl nodded and stood. As they left the office, she gave her father a quick hug. "See you tonight dad." She turned and followed the principal down the hallway towards the auditorium.  
  
"Wait here until I call your name," the principal said when they were backstage.  
  
"Okay," she replied.  
  
I'm glad I'm so confident, despite that little episode with that asshole that left me terrified of men and not a virgin, she thought with a hint of bitterness as she glanced down at her outfit. One of the first decisions she had made after being raped by a boyfriend that had supposedly cared about her was to not make any major changes to herself. She wasn't going to hide her body behind loose clothes in the hopes that no one would pay attention to her. She continued to show off her well-toned body whenever she had the chance. For example, today she was wearing a deep red, knee length skirt with a black, form-fitting sweater and a pair of black knee high boots.  
  
"Maia Rainsong," the principal called from the other side of the curtain. Maia dutifully stepped through the curtains to present herself in front of the student body.  
  
She fought down a blush as the auditorium went silent and stared at her, much as they had done nearly a month earlier when Humility Black was introduced. Of course, Maia didn't know that. Please, please let me get off the stage!! she thought as the principal gave a schpiel about making her feel welcome and yadda, yadda, yadda. Finally he told her she could get off the stage. She nearly ran down the stairs and made her way to the back of the auditorium. Thank the Goddess! she thought thankfully, leaning against the back wall.  
  
  
  
Rowen's eyes followed Maia as she made her way to the back of the auditorium and leaned up against the wall near where he, the other guys and Humility were at. If Sage wasn't so gone on Humility I bet he'd be all over this girl, he thought as he studied her closely. She was every bit as beautiful as Humility. In fact, the two girls looked remarkably similar. The differences were in the colorings though. Humility was pale with white hair and grey eyes. Maia was dark. Her skin was a creamy brown, almost as if she were part African American. Her features told the truth of her heritage, that she was Romanian…a gypsy. Her features were finely defined like Humility's but her eyes were a deep cerulean blue, and much softer than Hugh's cold grey ones. Thick, coal black hair hung to her waist, even though it was pulled into a loose pony tail, loose curls pulling up the ends and contrasting with the straightness of the rest of her hair. He guessed that it probably hung to the middle of her thighs.  
  
"Hey Rowen, she's going to notice if you keep staring at her," Ryo said in a low whisper.  
  
Rowen felt the heat rise in his face and looked at his friend. "Staring at who?" he asked.  
  
Ryo laughed, "Is our little Rowen taking an interest in something other than his text books?"  
  
Rather than take the bait, Rowen shrugged and laughed back, "It had to happen some day. Textbooks, though quite interesting, aren't exactly "my type" if you know what I mean."  
  
Ryo raised an eyebrow, "I don't think I've ever heard you joke around like that."  
  
"Joke around like what?" Kento asked, tuning into the conversation.  
  
"Rowen's got a thing for Maia," Ryo answered.  
  
Rowen shrugged at Kento's amused glance. I'm never going to hear the end of this, he thought to himself, Well, the up side is that I get to show her around. He smiled at that. Aside from her photography class at the end of the day, her schedule was identical to his…a rare thing considering his heavy academic load. So she's pretty and intelligent, perfect combination. From what the principal had told him when he had been chosen to escort Maia around, she was an excellent photographer. He hoped to see some of her work, he was a fan of photography, though he couldn't take a decent picture to save his life.  
  
He wanted to introduce himself to her before school started up again on Monday but she disappeared as soon as the principal dismissed the students. He fought down a feeling of disappointment at not getting a chance to talk to her and followed the others out of the auditorium, listening to Sai and Humility talking about the shopping trip they were going on the next day.  
  
"You're coming, right Rowen?" Humility asked.  
  
Rowen looked up, only half catching the question. "Oh, yeah. If you want me to, that is. I don't have any major studying to do," he replied.  
  
His thoughts turned back to Maia as the group made their way back to Mia's talking about various things.  
  
  
  
Maia groaned inwardly as she saw a handful of girls walking towards her outside of the auditorium. She had managed to get out of the auditorium before everyone else but she hadn't expected the stampede of students that came out immediately after her. I didn't stand a chance of getting out of here without being pounced on by someone, she thought dryly, Too bad it has to be the Barbie squad. She put on a sweet smile and greeted the girls when they caught up with her.  
  
"Maia isn't it?" one of them, a tall blonde asked.  
  
Maia nodded, "That's me." She wrinkled her nose, "Do I really stand out?"  
  
The blond looked her up and down with a superior smile on her face while her two friends snickered, "Actually…" She offered her hand, "My name's Kaylie."  
  
Maia raised a brow at the girl and smiled coldly, "Nice to meet you Kaylie. If you'll excuse me, I have some things to get done before I head home."  
  
"Don't think you're going to win any popularity contests by dressing like that and acting better than everyone else," Kaylie said in a threatening voice. "And you better keep your eyes off of Sage Date," she added, "He's mine."  
  
Maia smirked, "No problem. Of course, that would be much easier if I knew who the hell he was." She turned and walked away from the three girls at a brisk pace.  
  
"Don't be rude to me Maia, I'll make your life miserable," Kaylie called after her.  
  
"Go ahead and try," Maia called over her shoulder without turning around. What a bitch! she thought, Well, good way to start out at a new school. Why couldn't I have been caught by someone nice? She sighed as she left the school grounds and headed home. She had a load of homework to do for the start of her classes on Monday.  
  
  
  
Closing up her calculus book, Maia stretched across her bed and yawned. "I hate homework Jana," she said, looking over at the large Irish setter lying at the foot of her bed.  
  
Jana raised her head off her paws and whuffed softly, thoroughly unconcerned with her mistress's complaints.  
  
Time for some tunes, she thought as she hopped off the bed and turned on her stereo. Celine Dion's new song "That's The Way It Is" came blasting out of the speakers and Maia immediately joined in, her clear, sweet voice harmonizing with the artist's as she put up her school books and straightened up her room. A knock sounded on her door and she called to come in.  
  
Her father opened the door and watched his daughter with an affectionate smile on his face as she stood en pointe to set a few books on a high shelf. "Why did you quit ballet? You love it so much," he said after a moment.  
  
"You know I didn't want to constantly worry myself over my weight every time I ate something," she said, before turning and smiling back at him. "So Papa, how was your first day at work?"  
  
"Busy. It's such a pain getting into the feel of things at a new office," he replied, leaning against the door frame, "How was the introduction assembly."  
  
Maia wrinkled her nose, "I hate being the absolute center of attention. I survived though. I did meet up with this bitch afterwards who was trying to make me feel insecure about the way I chose to dress."  
  
Nicolas laughed. His daughter had never once lost confidence in her personal clothing style and nothing was going to change her mind about it.  
  
Maia joined in on the laughter, knowing what he was thinking, "If I'm comfortable in what I'm wearing, no one's going to make me insecure about what I wear. Too bad the bitch didn't realize that, might make her life easier." She smirked, "Get this, she's going to try to make my life miserable for being rude to her."  
  
The smile stayed on her father's face but she could see the concern in his eyes. "Don't go making enemies right away Maia, you may end up paying for it later," he said when she raised a brow at him.  
  
Hugging him tightly, she assured him that she would be careful.  
  
"You're going to go pick up your uniforms tomorrow right?"  
  
Maia groaned, "You would have to bring up the uniform issue, wouldn't you?"  
  
He laughed, "I know you prefer wearing your own clothes to school but you have to admit, it makes it easier to decide on what to wear for school."  
  
"That's about the only good thing about it," she grumbled. "So, what's for dinner Papa?"  
  
"Take out tonight. I stopped by this restaurant owned by this couple with the name Rei Faun. Really nice people, I guess they've got a son that's about your age. His name's Kento," he said, "Anyways, they have really great food so I ordered dinner for both of us."  
  
Maia nodded, "Sounds good. Let's go eat."  
  
  
  
Later that night, Maia lay in her bed with Jana resting her head on her chest. "Jana, I miss Miami," she whispered softly, "I wish that whole situation had never happened." She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, "Why did Kyle have to betray me like that?"  
  
Jana whined softly at the sadness in her mistress's voice. She didn't really understand what happened to the young woman, but she recognized the name Kyle and she recognized the fact that the human man she had disliked from the start had hurt her mistress.  
  
Scratching the dog playfully behind the ears, Maia smiled softly, "Papa thinks I've recovered from that incident but I really haven't. Despite my brave words, I'm terrified of being in the company of guys. I don't know how I'll ever be able to trust any guy that much again." She sighed, "Oh well, nothing can change the past. It's time to think about the future."  
  
Jana barked softly as if in agreement.  
  
"When Papa asked me if I had a preference as far as where to move, I never thought about moving to Japan," she said quietly, "Then all of a sudden I found myself saying "Let's move out of the country. Japan sounds like a good spot." She glanced down at Jana in the pale moonlight shining through the window above her bed. "Something wanted me to be here for some reason. I don't know why but I do know that this is where I should be. My nightmares have stopped at least and that's usually because I'm doing the right thing." She bit her bottom lip, "I just wish I knew who this Jarrol guy was and why I'm supposed to be here to stop him." Her eyes closed sleepily, "I'll figure it out later. For now, I just want to sleep and forget about all the troubles that brought me here."  
  
She sighed and let her mind fade into sleep. 


	2. Chapter 2

"You can come with me to the mall Jana but you have to stay in the car," Maia said the next morning, hoping it would calm the dog enough that she would stop jumping around whining and barking. It worked. She sat obediently on the floor and looked up at her mistress with a dog smile on her face.  
  
"Shameless beggar," her father said, patting the dark red dog on the head as he walked past the two of them.  
  
"Gee, I wonder how she got that habit?" Maia asked, sticking her tongue out at her father.  
  
"Not a clue," her father replied with an innocent grin. His expression turned serious, "Are you sure you're okay with me leaving for a week?" He had to go to Tokyo for a week to get his work caught up before he was to get settled in at his new office.  
  
"Perfectly fine, Papa. I'll try to keep the parties to a minimum and I'll make sure nothing gets broken. All the evidence of alcohol will be gone by the time you get back, too," she replied with a mischievous look.  
  
"Better be," he replied, kissing her on the top of the head. "Be careful while I'm gone." With that, he hugged her and headed out the door.  
  
"Have a good time, Papa," she called on his way out. When he was gone, she looked down at Jana. "Well dear, what should I wear to go shopping today?"  
  
Jana got up and made her way over to her food dish.  
  
"Thanks for the help," Maia said sarcastically as she made her way back to her room to go through her closet.  
  
  
  
Maia grumbled under her breath as she walked back out to her car carrying three bags of school uniforms. I hate uniforms, they're so…blah, she thought to herself. She unlocked the back of the big black jeep her father had bought her before they left Miami and tossed her bags in. Jana jumped out as soon as the back was opened wide enough and danced around her excitedly.  
  
She looked up when Jana stopped jumping around and whuffed softly, looking towards the mall. She groaned inwardly when she saw a group of people about her age walking towards her. I hope to the Goddess that they're not like Kaylie. I don't want to deal with that right now, she thought. She took a deep breath and put on her "hi, nice to meet you" smile as they got closer.  
  
The group walked up to the girl, the young man with the dark blue hair smiling. "Hi," he gently presented his hand, "I'm Rowen Hashiba, and these are my friends Sai Mouri and Humility Black. I'm going to be showing you our school on Monday, and thought it would be nice to smile and say hello."  
  
Maia's smile became more genuine when he introduced himself and his friends. Especially when the one named Sai blushed when he was introduced. "Well, I appreciate your coming to introduce yourself to me. Even though you know who I am, allow me to introduce myself anyways. Maia Rainsong. It's nice to meet all of you," she said, hiding her surprise when Jana walked up to Rowen and sniffed his hand.  
  
Rowen looked down at the gorgeous red dog and scratched her softly behind the ears. "It's nice to meet you Maia," he said, his sapphire eyes meeting her cerulean ones.  
  
Maia found herself blushing slightly. Oh Goddess, I'm blushing like a school girl, she thought. "It's nice to meet you as well. You three are the first people I've met from school that have been even remotely polite to me and I appreciate it," she told him.  
  
"Who else have you met?" Rowen asked, feeling a twinge of protectiveness at the thought of someone being mean to the dark angel before him. She was dressed casually in a pair of faded Levi's, a small black t-shirt with the Playboy logo on it and a pair of black work boots. Her hair was pulled through the back of an old, worn baseball cap and hung straight down, curling attractively at the ends.  
  
"Some girl named Kaylie and her two little lackeys," Maia replied, "Warned me to stay away from her man. Some guy named Sage Date."  
  
Sai laughed, knowing well that Sage had his heart set on another. "Don't worry about Sage hitting on you. Although, usually he'd be all over you, he's so gone on Hugh here that he probably doesn't notice you exist," he and Rowen exchanged knowing glances, both smiling. "And don't worry about Kaylie, Sage hates her anyways. She totally was sprung on Ryo until he brushed her off like lint, then she tried to attach herself upon Sage. He doesn't like those blonde types, much. Only to flirt with."  
  
Maia smiled, "I'll keep that in mind." She noticed Humility hiding herself behind Rowen, trying to watch her without her noticing. Hmm, I wonder where she got the bruises from, she thought, glancing away so that the girl wouldn't realize she had noticed them, That's probably why she's hiding her face in the first place. She sighed inwardly, I hate seeing anyone so unsure of themselves, I wonder if there's anything I can do to help her. "So, have there been a lot of new students coming to Han'a'High lately?" she asked.  
  
Rowen nodded, watching her closely and not even caring that he was staring, "Yeah. In fact, Humility here started just last month."  
  
Maia noticed Humility try to shrink away from her gaze and, despite her dislike of using her magic to manipulate others, sent a subtle feeling of calmness into the girls mind. I'm not going to judge you because of the way you look, you'll never have to worry about that with me, she made the feeling say. "So I'm not the only new person around here," she grinned, "So I wasn't just special getting to get up on stage and be presented to the entire school. Good, I hate being the odd one."  
  
Sai laughed, "You aren't the odd one anyways. That position is filled. Our friend, Kento, is the president of the club. You'll know him Monday, by the way he attacks the lunch line as if he were starving, stealing all the food and begging us for money."  
  
Maia felt more than saw Humility studying her closely. Her magic hadn't worked on the girl and that was a first. Well, if she noticed, she's not bothered by it, she thought. She smiled at Humility when the girl came from behind Rowen. The girl smiled back and stuck her frail hands into the pockets of her black jeans, looking at her feet.  
  
Rowen looked at Maia, a wonderful thought suddenly appearing. "Hey. We all are going out tonight, for Hugh here. Why don't you join us? You'll get to see the town, and undoubtedly hear Hugh's beautiful voice," he laughed as he was punched in the arm, hard. "And we're going to Kento's parent's restaurant afterwards. How about it?"  
  
Maia's eyes widened with surprise, she hadn't expected to be invited to go anywhere. "I'd love to," she replied, then looked at Humility, "You sing? Good, I knew we had something awesome in common. Is there any chance I'd be able to sing as well?"  
  
Humility looked at her, blinking her now softer grey eyes. She shrugged, "They refuse to tell me where we're going..." her voice was soft, angelic like her appearance. "...but we'll probably be able to stop by the Black Rose. That's the new place here. A lot of peeps go there to sing their songs or recite. Pretty cool," she glared playfully at both boys, "Besides the fact they're making me change my whole damn wardrobe."  
  
Maia nodded, "Well, if you really don't mind, I'd love to join you guys." She raised an eyebrow at Humility, "And you mean there's something wrong with your wardrobe?" Although she, herself, preferred brighter colors for the most part, nice basic black was perfectly fine in her opinion.  
  
Humility smirked, "They're prejudiced against black clothing."  
  
Maia laughed, and shook her head sadly, "They just don't understand how versatile it is."  
  
"Don't encourage her! We had enough trouble trying to talk her into grey, let alone any normal colors," Rowen said, happy to see that Humility was a little more at ease than she had been when they first introduced themselves, happier still to see that Maia seemed to be the cause of it. He was overjoyed at the prospect of getting to know the raven-haired girl and couldn't wait until later that night.  
  
Sai looked at his watch, noting the time. "Damn," his English voice was low as he considered everything. "How about we'll pick you up around 8 or 9 tonight?" he looked to Humility, "We still have to stop by your house to grab your things and move it all to Mia's."  
  
Humility paled, if it was possible for someone of her skin tone, but nodded. "Yeah," she looked to the girl. "T'was nice to meet'ya, luv. But we have to go."  
  
Maia didn't think Humility could have gotten any paler than she already was but she nodded as well, "I look forward to seeing you all tonight." She looked down at Jana, who's eyes were closed in bliss as Rowen scratched her behind the ears. "Come on you shameless lady, let's get home." She smiled at her three new friends and gave them her address, "Should I wear something special or will jeans and a nice shirt do?"  
  
Humility raised a brow at the boys, "You two are the ones that know where we're going."  
  
"Something slightly dressy, nothing too fancy but jeans will be too casual," Sai said.  
  
Maia nodded, "Okay, I'll see you guys later then." She climbed into the big black jeep after Jana and waved as she pulled out of the parking lot.  
  
  
  
Rowen watched her drive away. Wow, she's actually going to be with us the entire night! he thought excitedly, I can't wait to see her again. He smiled to himself, Geez, I hardly even know her and I'm already all excited about spending time with her.  
  
Sai watched Rowen with amusement, he'd never seen Rowen so worked up about a girl. It was actually really strange, and he was sure the others would agree. Rowen just never took interest in anything but his studies and here he was, getting all giddy over a girl. Granted, she was really pretty but it was Rowen. He just never got that way.  
  
"So what do you guys think of her?" Rowen asked as they walked to their car.  
  
Humility smiled, "She's very full of life. She has a lot of energy and she did something to me, or at least tried to, that tickled." She shook her head at their worried looks, "No, no. Whatever it was, it wasn't bad. She's got a good heart, and her intentions were pure. I like her."  
  
"Do you have any idea what it was that she did?" Sai asked with concern.  
  
"Magic?" Humility shrugged, "I don't know. But she does have good taste in clothing colors."  
  
The two guys groaned at the same time and shook their heads. "You would think so."  
  
  
  
Maia could barely contain her excitement as she drove home from the mall. She had been invited to spend the evening with a really nice guy and his friends. Things were beginning to look much better than they were the day before when she met Kaylie. She was looking forward to the opportunity to get out and see what Toyama offered for teens on a Saturday night. I might even get to sing! she thought, I should probably see what songs I have already written. I think I have a couple that don't have any music that I could sing a cappella if nothing else. That sounded like a good idea, she was dying to see if her new songs were any good. I wonder if I can find that duet I wrote a while back. Maybe Humility would be interested. She pulled up at a stop light and dialed up her dad's work number on her cell phone.  
  
"Hello?" her dad answered after several rings.  
  
"Hi Papa, how's work?"  
  
"Oh, hey Maia dear. I have to tell you, Tokyo is one of the busiest cities I've ever seen. Did you get the uniforms?"  
  
"Yep, they're awful. I hate 'em. Anyways, I called to let you know that I'm going out with some new friends tonight."  
  
"Really? Who?"  
  
"Well, I met that guy, Rowen, at the mall. You know, the one that's showing me around school on Monday. He introduced me to a couple of his friends as well and I got invited to go out with them tonight."  
  
"That's great! I'm glad to hear you're making friends. So what are you going to do?"  
  
"Well, for one, we're going to this place called the Black Rose. It's a club where people can come in and perform, kind of like an open mike-type thing. We'll be going somewhere else but I don't know where. I guess the guys are taking their friend, Humility, out for a night of fun but it's all supposed to be a surprise, and since Humility was with them at the mall, they couldn't tell me where they were going," she said as the light turned green and she accelerated.  
  
"Sounds like fun. Are you going to bring some of your music along to perform at the Black Rose?"  
  
"Yeah, I want to see how they like it here in Japan. I don't know if I want to bring my fiddle with or not. I think I'll talk to Humility and see what the interest is in Celtic-style music around here before I play my baby."  
  
"I wish I could come hear you sing, I haven't had a chance to hear you perform in a while."  
  
"I'll have to set up a special concert for you some time. I've got a bit of new music that you haven't heard before."  
  
"I look forward to it. Well dear, I've got to get back to work. Have fun tonight, and be careful."  
  
"I will Papa. Talk to you later." She hung up just as she pulled into the driveway of her house. "Come on Jana, you gotta help me pick something out for tonight."  
  
Jana jumped out of the jeep after her mistress and followed her into the house. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
"Argh! I don't know what to wear!" Maia complained, staring at the clothes in her closet. Finally she decided on a tight, knee-length black silk skirt with slits on either side, a pair of black, knee-high leather boots and a deep red corset. She left her hair to hang over her shoulders and forwent the makeup. Checking her reflection she decided she looked acceptable and went into the room she and her father had set aside as a music room to go through some of her songs.  
  
She didn't have a really wide collection of self-composed songs so she decided on only bringing one of her own compositions. Any other songs she did would be by other artists. I wonder what song I should do? she thought to herself. After looking over them, she decided on her newest one, a song she hadn't performed yet titled "It Was." I think I want to get some feedback on this one before I bother any more, she said to herself as she grabbed the tape with the song's music on it and left the room.  
  
Ryo pulled up to the large house that apparently belonged to Maia Rainsong and put the jeep in park while Rowen climbed out and went up to knock on the door. Like Sai, he was very surprised by his friend's behavior. Personally, he'd like to ask Maia out some time but he realized that it would only hurt Rowen's feelings. Besides, he thought, it's not like there aren't plenty of other girls I can take an interest in. I wouldn't appreciate it if the roles were reversed and Rowen tried to steal the girl I was interested in.  
  
"So how, exactly, did Rowen end up asking this girl out?" Kento asked.  
  
"He didn't really ask her out. He invited her to join us as a group," Sai said to his best friend.  
  
Humility smiled, "I don't think little Rowen is quite ready to go so far as to ask a girl out on a date. I like her though and I hope something good happens between them."  
  
The others nodded in agreement. Though Kento, Sage and Ryo hadn't met her; if Humility liked her, then she had to be a good person.  
  
Maia jogged down the stairs to answer the door when the doorbell rang. She had put her music in her black leather shoulder bag, which she grabbed on the way to the door.  
  
The door opened to reveal Rowen looking extremely handsome in navy slacks, a white dress shirt and a deep blue tie. The kanji for life was embroidered in silver on the tie. Maia smiled as she looked over him. Goddess! he looks good! she thought to herself.  
  
Rowen was similarly shocked. She looks even better than she did earlier, he thought as she smiled at him. "Ready to go?" he asked, offering her his arm.  
  
Maia's smile widened into a grin, "But of course." She took his arm and let him lead her down the driveway to the jeep. "Now, where are we going tonight? I want to know and you can't tell me with Humility there or it'll ruin the surprise."  
  
Rowen smiled, "I'll tell you on the way. Humility's in the front and we're going to be in the back. It shouldn't be too difficult to keep her from hearing with Kento and Sai in between her and us. I should probably warn you about Kento and Sai. They are forever getting into arguments over the stupidest things." He laughed, continuing, "They tend to get very loud about it too."  
  
Maia laughed as he opened the door of the jeep for her to climb in. "Hi everyone," she said as she got in.  
  
A chorus of "Nice to meet you's" bombarded her as they pulled out of the driveway. Introductions were made and Maia soon found herself drawn into the friendly group of six like she had been a part of it for ages. After a short while, she leaned over to whisper in Rowen's ear, "So where are we going now?"  
  
"We're going to the Black Rose but you already know that," he whispered back, "We're also going to Kento's parents' restaurant and to the park."  
  
His breath was warm on her ear. She smiled when she replied, "Can't wait."  
  
"Maia?" Humility called, waiting for the girl to meet her eyes in the mirror. "Are you gonna sing? I brought my guitar if you know how to use it...you could borrow it," she winked.  
  
Maia smiled, "Thank you for the offer, I really appreciate it. I'm afraid I'm not a guitar-type chick, though. Give me the fiddle any day."  
  
"You play the fiddle? I love the fiddle," she grinned, "Then again, I like music in any shape or form." She turned to look back at the girl, "What type of music do you play on it?"  
  
"Nothing but Celtic-style music for my baby," Maia answered with an affectionate smile for her fiddle, "Do you play at all?"  
  
"Do I ever!" Humility answered, "Along with just about any other instrument. "  
  
"I didn't bring her tonight because I wasn't sure about the interest in Celtic style music here, I was going to ask you about that, but next time I will and you're welcome to play her."  
  
Humility's eyes sparkled, "Really?" she giggled. "Cool. I'd truly be honored. Do you know the 'The Highwayman'?"  
  
Maia hid a smile as she watched Sage stroke Humility's silvery white hair. A bit of attraction hmm? she thought to himself, Humility's completely oblivious to it. I wonder if she knows how much he's interested in her. She made a mental note to ask Rowen later. "Yeah, one of my favorites," she said, answering Humility's question, "I haven't done that one in a while."  
  
Humility nodded, "A friend and I in Seattle put the lyrics to electric guitar and soft singing... it sounded awesome," her enthusiasm was evident in her soft voice. The car had quieted as the two girls spoke, all finding the conversation intriguing.  
  
Ryo pulled up to a small building, a black rose was intricately painted on a crimson background. "Here we are, people. File out."  
  
Humility slid out of the jeep, holding the coat tightly around her slender form. She smiled, taking each of her friends up in a hug. Sai blushed, as usual... but Sage tried to make the hug last for just a bit more. "This is it, Maia," she reached into the Jeep, grabbing the black case of her instrument and a black portfolio. "The Black Rose. Best place, by my opinion, in all of Toyama."  
  
Maia studied the building for a moment. "I like it already." She walked beside Humility as they entered.  
  
A slightly older man approached them as they stopped inside the doorway, "Ah, Humility dear. Would you like you're usual table near the front?"  
  
Humility blushed as five pairs of male eyes rested on her, "Um, yes please Talos."  
  
Maia laughed softly and leaned towards Humility, whispering, "I take it you come here more often than they knew?" Humility nodded, still blushing, as Talos lead them to a large circular table next to the stage. There was a girl of about fifteen on stage singing the country song "Strawberry Wine" in a soft voice.  
  
Kento made a face at the song, taking a seat near Sai and Ryo. "She has a pretty voice, but I hate that song!"  
  
Sage and Rowen laughed, each taking a seat near the girls. "I bet, Kento. Sai played that song so many times that the CD disappeared, huh?"  
  
The auburn haired boy made a pouty face. "Indeed. And I still can't find it..."All eyes met Kento.  
  
"What?! It wasn't me!!! Honest!"  
  
"Please Ken, hon," Humility smiled as people stood up and began dancing. She loved to dance, too. "We all know you far too well... just admit it."  
  
Sai glared at his friend, Kento blushed, even beneath his golden skin. "Wh- wha-what??? M...me???"  
  
Every body laughed, knowing well. At that minute he was rescued by the waitress, a small Japanese girl with long hair.  
  
"What can I get you all?" she smiled kindly. "And I'll also take the names of anyone singing. Oh! Hi Hugh!" she smiled widely at the girl, "Gonna do another for us??? Been a while..."  
  
Humility nodded, still clutching her coat to her form. "Yup. Got a couple new ones... one of them really deep. You'll like it, Teeliona," she nodded to Maia. "And our friend here, Maia, will be also. No other music needed, right?" she looked at her new friend.  
  
Maia nodded, "Almost, all but one of my songs is a cappella. I have the music for it though." She pulled out her small black portfolio and laughed softly when she realized that Humility's was identical. "Great minds think alike eh?" she asked, handing the songs she had chosen to the white-haired girl and the music tape to Teeliona.  
  
Humility smiled, taking the songs. As she read them, here eyes widened a bit, and they sparkled with pleasure. "You, my dear, are going first!" she giggled, "That's great work. And really complex too. I love anything with powerful words in it, those are the best."  
  
"What are you singing, Hugh?" Rowen leaned on the table, grasping his soda.  
  
"Umm..."she looked down a bit. "One of them is a harsh song... I just finished it. It's about... Ben. The other is a song I wrote about one of my dreams when I was back home, in Seattle."  
  
Maia noticed Humility lower her head, so rather than ask her, she leaned over to Rowen. "Who's Ben, Rowen?" she whispered, not even bothering to deny to herself the fact that she enjoyed having Rowen whisper in her ear.  
  
Rowen obliged, his warm breath tickling her ear, "That's her father. He's very cruel to her; that's why she's living with us."  
  
She nodded, "I didn't know. That's why she went pale earlier at the mall when you mentioned stopping by her house then, too, isn't it?"  
  
"She's terrified of the man," Rowen said and Maia could feel the anger in his voice, "He's done nothing but mistreat her."  
  
"That's so horrible." Maia sat back again to listen to the girl onstage as she started another song.apparently her last song for the evening.  
  
Humility sat, craving a cigarette. She stole a glance at Sage and Ryo as they spoke together about training for the next day, inwardly groaning. She would have to start training tomorrow, she was not looking forward to this. She was gonna get her ass kicked. She saw Teeliona bringing her drink, the only one that was late due to what it was.  
  
"Here's your quadruple coconut latte, Hugh," she giggled, "I think we ran out of coffee for yours..."  
  
Humility smiled her thanks as the waitress went to another table, not noticing all the eyes upon her from the boys.  
  
"God, Hugh! Think that's enough caffeine?!" Sai blinked, astonished. "I don't think I've seen anyone drink that much coffee in my life!"  
  
Maia smirked, "You haven't seen me in the mornings. Coffee's the only way I can keep from falling back asleep." She winked at Humility's grateful look, "I live on caffeine. I'm serious, if they had a way to link me up to an IV that pumped coffee right into my bloodstream, I'd do it."  
  
"Well Rowen, you two ought to get along just fine then," Humility teased, hoping to clue the two in that they should spend more time together.  
  
Maia's cerulean blue eyes met Rowen's sapphire ones, "You're not a morning person either, I take it?"  
  
Rowen fought the urge to blush under her steady gaze, "I'm usually dragged out of bed kicking and screaming in the mornings."  
  
Maia laughed, "Poor dear. Let me assure you I'd never do anything like that to ya. I have too much sympathy for the non-morning people of the world."  
  
The girl finished her song, and the group applauded... the man, Talos, got up on the stage, adjusting the mike. "Hey-la all. Welcome to the Black Rose, for all of you new comers. Have a nice night. And for you regulars," he flicked off the audience, everyone laughed. "Anyways... we have a new lovely coming up here tonight, a friend of our beloved Hugh Black's, let's give a warm welcome to Maia Rainsong," he motioned for the girl to come on up, smiling warmly.  
  
Maia blushed as she made her way onstage to the sound of a politely clapping audience. :Of course they're not applauding wildly,: she thought as she adjusted the height of the mike so she could sit comfortably on the tall stool while she sang, :For all they know I suck. I just hope I surprise them.:  
  
The pre-recorded music started to the song she had just finished writing. Counting the beats, Maia waited until the right moment to begin. Her sweet, harmonic voice rang out clearly.  
  
I guess we guess our way through life.  
How many times do we really know for sure?  
I was just hoping for the best.  
Then I woke up in those loving arms of yours.  
What I felt, was unmistakable, but I believe it's true.  
  
It was real, it was magic.  
It was calm, it was savage.  
It was cool as a breeze, it was warm to the touch.  
It was never enough, it was always too much.  
It did all the things love does. That's how I knew it was..  
  
Humility listened to Maia...liking her voice. It was a bit lower, but not by much, and very harmonious. It seemed to draw the patrons of the bar out to the dance floor to slowly move to the rhythms. Humility looked over to Rowen, and giggled. "Here's a napkin, quit drooling." She smiled, patting him on the arm as he gave a sheepish grin.  
  
"Wow. She's talented. I wonder if she's taken classes," Ryo kept his voice hushed as she finished... everyone, actually, was quiet.  
  
As the music faded, along with the soft voice, applause erupted. And clapping the loudest, were Rowen, Humility, and the rest of the table. Kento and Ryo had actually stood up, screaming and whooping their praise.  
  
Maia opened her eyes when the thunderous applause erupted. She hadn't been expecting them to like the song that much. She felt herself blush when she saw Ryo and Kento on their feet. "Do you all want another song?"  
  
A roar of approval sounded in response to her question and she waited for them to quiet down a bit. The next song would be a cappella so she needed them to quiet down first.  
  
The first time I ever saw your face  
I thought the sun rose in your eyes  
And the moon and the stars were the gifts you gave  
To the night and the empty skies my love  
To the night and the empty skies  
  
The first time I ever kissed your mouth  
I felt the earth turn in my hand  
Like the trembling heart of a captive bird  
That was there at my command love  
  
That was there at my command.  
  
As the second song began, Sage quickly and skillfully grabbed Humility's hand, bringing her to the dance floor, her pale face red with a blush. "What the hell are you doing, Date?" her soft voice was but a whisper, being swiftly brought into a slow waltz.  
  
"Just dancing. Is that a sin?" he looked down upon her, then felt her gasp and try to pull away. "What?" he stopped.  
  
She stared into those usually lavender eyes. "Y-your eyes, Sage..."they were a deep violet. She had never seen such beautiful eyes. "They're dark."  
  
"Dark?" he blinked then smiled...walking back to grasp her hand. "Really now?" he took her right hand with his left, rolling her into a "cuddle" (dance term). "Maybe it's because I'm in love with you." He felt her gasp, and slightly fall into him. He turned her out, beginning the waltz once more.  
  
"W-what?" she shook her head, beginning to feel warm and lightheaded. "B- but... I'm... so..."  
  
Rowen grinned as he watched them, then turned back to watch Maia, engrossed in her song. She had the most mesmerizing voice and, even though she was singing a cappella, she hadn't once lost her place or sang a flat note. It's decided, she thought, I'm going to get her to dance with me tonight for the last thing I do tonight.  
  
Maia looked over at Rowen through lowered eyes, both happy and nervous that he was watching her so closely. As she ended the song with a repetition of the first verse, she met his eyes and smiled shyly before he looked away, embarrassed at being caught. Oh, don't worry Rowen, I don't mind you watching me in the least, she thought to herself. "Thank you," she said, making her way offstage.  
  
Talos stepped up onto the stage, "Let's hear another round of applause for Maia Rainsong everybody." The audience roared their delight, only quieting down after much shushing on Talos' part. "Okay, now it's time to welcome back everyone's favorite regular," he said, "Humility, make your way on up here!"  
  
She blushed, frowning at Talos. "Dork..."she laughed as he helped her on stage and gently shoved him on his way down. With a grin, she walked up to the mike, to realize she had forgotten her guitar. Humility blushed again as Sage came to the stage with her instrument.  
  
"I love you." He left for his seat, leaving her smiling oddly. She stood up once more then took her place on her stool.  
  
"This is Daddy...I wrote it last week... you guys..."she nodded her head to her table, "know the meaning..." she tuned the guitar slightly, then adjusted her voice...  
  
My bones are tired, Daddy...  
I don't get enough sleep  
I don't eat as good as I could, Daddy.  
What's that say about me?  
  
Ya know, sometimes I sleep past noon, Daddy.  
I drink lots of black coffee...  
And I smoke like a chimney.  
And yes, I left the refrigerator door half open, Daddy.  
What's that say about me?  
  
You know, sometimes I wanna rip out your throat, Daddy.  
for all those things you said that were mean.  
I'm gonna make you just as vulnerable as I was, Daddy.  
What's that say about me?  
  
Ya know, sometimes I wanna bash in your teeth, Daddy.  
I'm gonna use your tongue as a stamp  
I'm gonna rip your heart out  
the way that you did mine, Daddy.  
Go ahead and psychoanalyze...  
Cuz I'm your creation, I'm your love, Daddy.  
Gonna grow up and do all those sick things you said I would do...  
Well, last night,  
I saw you, sneak out of your window  
with your white hood, Daddy.  
What's that say about you?  
I'm talking!  
What's that say about you?  
My bones are tired, Daddy.  
  
Her voice was soft and angelic, but became cruel and harsh whenever she spoke of the Daddy... tears lightened her eyes as her voice faded... softly and wounded sounding.  
  
Maia fought the urge to cry as she sat next to Rowen and listened to her friend's song. I had no idea her life was like that, she thought sadly. She knew the song was a personal experience, it had too much genuine emotion in it to be otherwise. She glanced over at the others. They knew the situation and the song affected them.  
  
Humility sighed as the audience gave a mixed response. She had known that it would be tough for them to understand the meaning of the song. But those that did were on the verge of tears. Hugh didn't know how to deal with that...she didn't want sympathy. This was just her way of releasing her emotions.  
  
::Good job, Hugh...::  
  
Her head jerked up as soon as she heard the voice, Sai? Her eyes met his, and she knew.  
  
::The song... it's spirit helped you hear me... you no longer have all the pain to block me,:: he smiled with her. ::Play another? To make everyone else a little more on the cheerful side, aye love?::  
  
Humility giggled slightly even as his English accent came through the Mindspeech. She nodded, strumming her guitar once more, in a happier tune...loving.  
  
Electricity  
Eye to eye  
Hey do I know you?  
I can't speak  
  
Stripped my senses  
On the spot  
I've never been defenseless  
I can't even make sense of this  
  
You speak and I don't hear a word.  
  
Rowen stood, Now's my chance, he thought as Maia looked up at him. He held out his hand with an eyebrow raised in question. Maia gave him a radiant smile and took his hand. He pulled her slowly to her feet and led her onto the dance floor. He spun her around when they reached the dance floor before pulling her close to him, loving the feel of her in his arms and pulling her closer as they swayed together to the music.  
  
What would happen if we kissed?  
Would your tongue slip past my lips?  
Would you run away?  
Would you stay?  
Or would I melt into you?  
  
Mouth to mouth.  
  
Her voice became seductive, slow, as the musicians in behind her took up.  
  
Lust to lust  
Spontaneously combust  
  
What would happen if we kissed?  
  
Maia rested her head on Rowen's shoulder, allowing herself to get lost in the moment. She was surprised he had asked her to dance. Could it mean that you like me Rowen? she asked to herself. She found herself hoping that it was the case. She liked him a lot more than she was ready to though and it made her nervous.  
  
I struggle with myself again  
Quickly the walls are crumblin'  
Don't know if I can turn away  
What would happen if we kissed?  
Would your tongue slip past my lips?  
Would you run away?  
Would you stay?  
Or would I melt into you?  
Mouth to mouth  
If we kissed...  
Would your tongue slip past my lips?  
Would you run away?  
Would you stay?  
Or would I melt into you?  
Mouth to mouth  
If we kissed......oooooooo ahhhhh  
  
If we kissed  
  
Rowen couldn't help himself by the end of the song. Someone had lowered the lights in the room to add to the atmosphere, giving it a sultry feel. When Maia lifted her head off of his shoulder, he leaned down slowly to kiss her. Her lips were soft and sweet though he felt her body tense up when their lips met.  
  
Without trying for anything more than a soft kiss on the lips, Rowen pulled away and smiled down at her. What he saw in her eyes was a flash of fear that faded so fast that he was almost convinced he had imagined it. Her tense body still pressed against his told him otherwise though. She had been afraid of something when he kissed her. Her eyes closed slowly and she sighed softly, relaxing as the air left her lungs. He leaned down to whisper in her ear, "I'm sorry Maia. I don't know what came over me. Forgive me?"  
  
Maia had been terrified when Rowen's lips met hers in a soft, chaste kiss. All she could think of was what had happened with Kyle had kissed her that way. It had ended up in her being raped. She managed to clamp down her fear by telling herself that this wasn't Kyle; if Rowen had tried to deepen the kiss at all, she knew she would have broken down. He doesn't have a clue how close I was to freaking out, she thought, He doesn't know what happened.why I moved here. She was still tense when he broke off the kiss, though she tried to keep the fear she had felt from showing in her eyes. She had a feeling it wasn't successful though because he looked down at her in concern. Drawing in a deep breath, she forced her muscles to relax as he leaned down and apologized for his actions.  
  
He is definitely not Kyle, she thought to herself. Kyle had never apologized for being too forward. He simply smiled that dazzling smile of his and started his plan all over again. Maia raised her eyes to meet Rowen's, now filled with warmth, "Forgiven." She smiled sweetly at him as they walked back to the table. What am I doing? she asked herself, I've only known him for less than a day. I couldn't possibly care about him that much already, could I? She pushed the thought out of her mind, determined to enjoy herself.  
  
She hopped off the stage, letting another take the mike. She liked this kid, Sam, the new boy on stage, and she grinned as he and his band set up.  
  
"Good job, Hugh," Sai gave her a hug, grinning.  
  
"Yeah... totally great," Kento joined his bud, beaming.  
  
"Well... uh... thanks... but Sam's fixing to play. You all wanna dance with me?" She giggled as five male heads shook the word 'no'... "Why not?"  
  
"Can't..."  
  
"Won't."  
  
"We would kill ourselves."  
  
She laughed... her eyes glimmering as the band took up a swing number... "Fine... be that way and sit in -awe-..."She grinned, walking out onto the floor. The music was perfect as she started the Charleston...alone. The audience clapped along with the music, as the pale girl expertly kicked her way over to the bar, taking a black fedora from a man with a grin. With the black fedora and black trench coat, she seemed perfect for the swing.  
  
Maia laughed at the guys as they passed on the offer to dance. "You all are a bunch of chickens," she teased, hopping out of her seat and making her way onto the dance floor. She grinned at Humility when the girl looked at her, "Mind if I join you?"  
  
Humility beamed, switching to English, "Of course." She shrugged off her trench coat, threw it at those at her table and revealed the lovely dress she wore of a black silk dress and a lavender sheer dress over that. Black, strapped, 2 inch dancing heels finished the outfit as she pulled the Maia into the Charleston, leading.  
  
Maia laughed, keeping up quite well, with the other girl. To the audience, they appeared to be mirror images of each other. The only difference being, one was dark and one was light. Humility looped Maia out, grinning broadly, the dance floor quickly got crowded as both girls took the lead position.  
  
~~  
  
~...cross over! ~  
  
All five men at the table watched in awe as the seven lines of dancers followed Humility and Maia, who danced in synch. Sage and Rowen stared the most, both wide-eyed.  
  
~~  
  
The pale girl giggled, impressed that her partner kept up so well. Not many knew the Shim Sham. and much less could do it so well. She considered seeing if Maia would be interested in coming with her again to the Black Rose. It would be nice to have a girlfriend to hang out with sometimes. and not always bore the guys to death with her presence.  
  
The two girls left the dance floor, both grinning ear to ear. It wasn't till they got to the table that Humility noticed all the boys staring at her... especially Sage. "What?" she asked, her voice somewhat higher than usual... "Do I have toilet paper stuck to my heel or something?" she looked down, frowning when she found none.  
  
"No, Hugh... we've... just... never seen you in -color-."  
  
Humility blushed, remembering her dress. "Oh.. um..."she grabbed for her trench coat, placing it quickly over the black slip dress and lavender sheer. "Are we ready?" she tried to hide her blush with her white hair.  
  
Sage and Ryo nodded as one, "Yup." Sage looked to Maia, smiling. "Ready?"  
  
"Always," she replied, returning his smile, "Where are we going?"  
  
"Well..."Kento and Rowen looked at each other and grinned, "We were going to let you decide. Shall we away to dinner first? Or to the Park?"  
  
Hugh looked at them, "It doesn't matter to me boys... let the guest decide." she smiled at Maia. "The park is lovely at this time of night... but the restaurant will be more crowded later. Thanks to the Noh Theatre in town."  
  
Rowen casually linked between both girls' arms, "Yup. So Maia shall decide."  
  
"Well, if Kento can bear waiting to eat, I'd like to go to the park first," Maia said.  
  
"What do you mean by that?" Kento asked, pretending to be offended.  
  
Maia grinned mischievously, "Oh, I've already been told about your love for food." She winked across Rowen at Humility, who grinned then hid her smile behind her hair.  
  
"Who told you??" he demanded.  
  
Maia looked thoughtful for a moment, "You know, I don't really remember. That's strange, I usually have a pretty good memory for that type of thing. Hmm."  
  
"Suuuuure...."Kento grinned, punching Rowen in the arm softly, "My man here told you. I know... He has too large of a mouth to keep stuff to himself."  
  
"Excuse me?" Rowen raised a blue eyebrow at his friend, smirking, "If I recall correctly, you, my friend, have the largest mouth ever recorded."  
  
"Now, now... ladies... lets try to stay civil. No crying and pulling hair until we get home." Hugh giggled softly and started tugging her friends towards the park, "Let's walk. It's too nice to drive 5 minutes down the road."  
  
"Yeah. And it saves gas." Ryo spoke from behind.  
  
Ryo grinned wickedly at Sage, "Bet you can't beat me there, Green boy." he took off running for the edge of the park.  
  
"What did you call me?!" Sage raced after the dark haired boy, not able to drop a challenge of the sort, "Come back here!"  
  
Humility laughed at the childish game, grinning as she caught sight of Kento and Sai behind her. Gently, and purposely keeping Rowen and Maia from noticing the boys behind them, she tugged them faster. "We can't let them get lost. They're too young to be left alone..."  
  
Maia laughed with her, "I think you're right." She, too, had noticed Kento and Sai, though she had no intention of letting anyone else know it. She simply moved along with Hugh's pace. "So what type of restaurant are we going to?" she asked Rowen as they walked along after Sage and Ryo.  
  
"We're going to the restaurant that Kento's parents own. They serve the best food in the city," he replied, "You do eat Japanese, don't you?"  
  
"I live on it m'dear," she replied.  
  
"Guys, do you hear that?" Hugh interrupted, looking in the direction that Ryo and Sage had disappeared in.  
  
::Fight guys!:: Ryo's mind speech was thrown to the other warriors. Rowen, Kento, and Sai all looked at each other and dashed for the wood.  
  
"This is not a good sign..."Maia's voice was soft, "Something's wrong."  
  
"Yup." Humility watched after the boys, "And like hell I'm letting them get into trouble..."her heels didn't bother her, she ran nonetheless, mind whirled.  
  
"So this is the one the King wishes..."A dark voice sneered behind the girls. "But they both are so lovely..."  
  
The pale girl pulled to a stop, eyes widened. He was so familiar....  
  
When she turned, she found Maia facing an armored man without a hint of fear.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" the dark girl asked.  
  
"I don't really think it matters my dark beauty, but you may call me Void," he replied, "And, though you are just as lovely as your friend, she is the one I am here for." He stepped closer, expecting the dark angel to back away from him. When she didn't, he arched a brow. "You would do well to simply allow me to take her with me," he warned her.  
  
"Over my dead body," Maia replied, putting herself between Void and Hugh.  
  
"That can easily be arranged."  
  
Maia narrowed her eyes at him, "Don't count on it. I might surprise you." ::Hugh, listen to me. I'm going to make you invisible to anyone seeking you out with intentions of harming you.completely invisible. I want you to stay out of this fight no matter what happens.:: She summoned a shield of invisibility around her new-found friend and focused it on those that would seek the white-haired girl for the sole purpose of causing her harm.  
  
::Maia, you can't!!:: Hugh tried to tell her, not even realizing that the young woman had spoken directly into her mind.  
  
Maia didn't reply. She simply smiled sweetly Void, "Find her if you can."  
  
Void scanned the area, looking for some sign of the girl he had been sent to capture. When he didn't find her, he cursed. ::Payne, the girl's gone. Her friend is some sort of witch and has made her disappear.::  
  
::A magic user, hmm? Capture her instead. Our King will have use for the little witch and perhaps he will be a bit more forgiving than if we returned empty handed,:: his fellow warrior and lover replied.  
  
::Okay m'love,:: Void sent back.  
  
The warrior before Maia suddenly disappeared and she looked around, hoping to find him. She realized he had reappeared behind her, though too late to defend herself against the blow to the skull that rendered her unconscious. ::Be careful Hugh,:: she sent before the darkness closed in around her. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
"Where is she?" the deep voice boomed from the shadows, "Where is the pale one?! I asked for Humility, not. this. other!"  
  
The two men fell to their knees, bowing to the darkness, "Your majesty, forgive us but they look identical. and the other girl was being protected by the woman here with magic."  
  
Maia stood behind them, ropes binding her wrists, trying to understand what was being said. They spoke neither the English. nor the Japanese that she understood. but something akin to it. Obviously, Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum had done something wrong. Her eyes widened as a figure emerged from the shadows of the palace.  
  
King Jarrol was a man of ice, inside and out. He was tall, probably reaching six foot four inches or more, and was well defined, even through his robes. Eyes the color of ice held one frozen in their depths, seeming to see through to their very core. His face was aristocratic, chiseled angles with a mouth that never smiled. His raven-black hair fell to his shoulders in waves. It was brushed back and shone with cleanliness, at his temples silver streaked back, giving him a distinguished air.  
  
Jarrol inspected the girl, now that he was closer. Indeed she was identical to his Humility.only darker in her coloring. How odd. "Magic you said?" his eyes never left Maia, making the girl cringe within, "If you, Payne, said that you were confronted by boys with armor, that means the Ronin are still here. No bother, I'll have Humility no matter. She will be mine. The angel will be mine."  
  
The men nodded, still kneeling upon the floor before their king. "Do you wish to plan another attack, your majesty?"  
  
"No, Void. Not yet. We may be able to put our prisoner to use." A cruel smile danced in his ice blue eyes, "Do you not agree?"  
  
The one titled Void nodded, "Aye your majesty. What shall we do with her?"  
  
"I don't know, yet. What do you think, Payne?" he looked at them, "Tell me what you see within her."  
  
They both looked at her, and she felt a foreign. ancient. dark magic inspect her. She had no idea how to combat it, but raised her shields nonetheless. "We see fear of men. of pain." their voices rang in synch, like a chant. Maia took a step back, still not understanding the words, but the way they were said unnerved her. "... she's strong of mind and spirit. Only one blemish is upon her aura, that fear and pain once experienced."  
  
Jarrol nodded, watching her closely, he switched to an accented English, "But there's something else." He stepped towards her, roughly taking her chin within his cold grasp, "... what is it that make you different?" he seemed to ask himself more than her, his icy eyes locked with hers, "... there is something within you that draws me... that seduces my Song... my Sight."  
  
Maia tried to move away, but the ropes and his hold kept her from that, she didn't like him. She didn't like how her alarm systems within her mind went insane when he touched her. She didn't like how cold his hand was, it was like having death hold you. She didn't like his eyes. She didn't like him.  
  
"Stop fidgeting... you make it more difficult upon yourself. Void and Payne may not see it... " His eyes glimmered for a moment of an eerie blue light, "...but I see the precision those shields are made. An amateur can't make themselves seem normal. You can."  
  
Cerulean orbs widened in surprise.  
  
"Ah. so I say truth." He tightened his hold upon her chin, it felt like an ice-cold vise and she couldn't move from him, "And I see so much more than that within you." She felt him moving through the layers of her shields. this wasn't right.no one was supposed to be able to do this! "Stop screaming." Maia felt him tear through the last shield and her heat drain into his hand. "Now I see. how. wonderful."  
  
"No." she whimpered as the past flowed from her mind. her pain of the rape. her humiliation.  
  
"Something for my needs. Delicious." He leaned down, taking a breath of her raven curls, "You may not be my angel. but you will do for the night." Jarrol grinned in delight as fear swelled up within Maia's mind, "Oh yes. You know what I mean, Dark One. You know well what I mean, don't you?"  
  
Again she tried to pull away, but couldn't. Maia was frightened, and now that he had torn through that last shield, that fear took control of her Mind Gift. She lashed at him, pushing him away from her maybe five feet, but no more.  
  
"You'll find, Dark One," he came up and backhanded her, throwing her to the floor. Maia tasted blood in her mouth, "That one as old as I am not hindered by your simple Mind Magic." Jarrol stood above her, a cruel smile upon his handsome face, "And you'll also find, that I always get my way."  
  
Humility sat up, suddenly awake with a ripping sensation through her mind. Oww. what the hell was that? She looked to her side, smiling down at the sleeping Sage, his arm about her waist protectively. Oh Sage, what did I ever do to deserve your heart? She felt another white flash of pain race through her mind and she bit her lip to stifle the cry.  
  
Maia.  
  
She knew instinctively that whatever she was feeling was linked to the darker girl. Oh Maia. and it's all my fault. forgive me. Humility lifted herself gently from Sage's bed, placing a pillow where she had been laying so that he wouldn't wake to the lack of her presence. A gentle kiss upon his forehead and she put her clothes on, going to her room. I'm coming, Maia.  
  
Walking into her room, she tiptoed to her dressers and removed her black cargos and black tank top. Her boots were downstairs, along with her backpack. She would change down there and grab the First Aid kit that was in the bathroom. Whatever was making Maia hurt so much, she might be able to help. The white-haired girl smiled gently at the two lovers upon her bed, Sai and Kento, before tiptoeing out of her room and down the stairs.  
  
Jarrol lifted himself off of her and pulled his clothes back on. Maia curled up into a ball, pain throbbing within her. "Chain her below, Void, and leave her there. I'll think about what we shall do to get Humility later. Go on now." He left the bedchambers, without looking back.  
  
Void sighed, running his hand through his light brown hair, "Forgive me." He took her up in his arms, along with the sheets, and nodded for his lover to take the girl's torn clothes. Payne picked them up, and followed them.  
  
"Go away." her voice was weak; she had given up fighting Jarrol, but that didn't hurt her any less. Oh Goddess she hurt.  
  
"Shush, witch. We're taking you below. Perhaps you'll be healed before he remembers you. Pray upon that. Thank your deity that he did not kill you with his hunger."  
  
Kill her? She whimpered. That would have been kinder. It would have hurt so much less than it did now. Not only did Maia hurt physically, but emotionally and mentally as well. Somehow he had destroyed even her strongest shielding and not only raped her body, but her mind as well. She felt empty, void.  
  
"Yes. That is how it feels, ne?" the brown haired man set her upon the floor, locking a cold shackle about her neck. "Now you know why that is my name." His hand brushed her cheek gently, and frowned as she jerked away. "Rest."  
  
"Will she be alright?" Payne stood in the doorway, emerald eyes worried, "Do you know, love?"  
  
Void exited the cell, closing the iron door upon her, "I don't know. She's survived it once, who's to say she can't a second time. The witch didn't offer as much pain as the master had hoped. I pray that it proves she is strong."  
  
"Come, Void. Master awaits us."  
  
Maia leaned against the cold stone wall, wrapped in the sheets from Jarrol's bed. Sobbing. Alone.  
  
"Kayura?" she looked out, towards the forest behind Mia's mansion. Oh please.please hear me. "Hello? Ancient?" Damn it.where are you?  
  
"Right behind you, Pale One."  
  
Humility spun, nearly slapping the dark-haired woman in the face with her braid. "K-Kayura?" she blinked, wondering how the woman got behind her without her knowledge.  
  
"Magic." The soft voice answered her thought question. "You wish to help the Magic one, ne?"  
  
She nodded, "Yes. She's. in pain." Humility looked at her black combat boots, "All because of me."  
  
"It is not your fault, Pale One. Jarrol will stop at nothing until he has you. You draw him near you with your pain." She lifted a hand, stopping Humility from speaking, "And until you overcome that pain, find that you no longer have to be a victim, understand that you are important and valuable to those who love you; you will be stalked by him." Kayura moved the staff to her other hand, reaching out to Humility. She took the girl's necklace in her hand, "You got this from your mother, no?"  
  
Humility nodded, looking down upon the delicate silver necklace, "She gave it to me the day she left. She said it would bring me luck." Grey eyes met blue ones; "You have to help me get Maia back."  
  
The woman frowned, "You going alone is not the best thing that comes to mind, Humility."  
  
"I don't care." Stubbornness shown in her eyes, "Help me or I'll find a way there myself."  
  
"I know you would." Kayura sighed, then nodded. "It seems you've already made your mind up about this. Come, I'll show you the way there. You'll have to go the rest alone." She whispered a few words, and a ball of golden light surrounded them. "When you are ready to come back, and are out of his castle, take the necklace within your hand and think about the mansion. You both will appear here."  
  
"Alright." Humility looked about as she found herself upon a field, and before her rose a large Japanese palace. "Is that where she is?"  
  
"Yes." The ancient tossed long, dark hair over her shoulder, "There is a tunnel on the right side of the lake ahead, one that Jarrol knows not, which is hidden by a willow tree with silver and blue blossoms. The only of it's kind. Go through the tunnel, never turning, until you reach a statue of the Twins. Touch their clasped hands and follow the tunnel that will open for you then. It will take you to the dungeons in which the Dark One is being held."  
  
Humility nodded, tossing her braid back and sliding on a black knit cap to keep her from the frostbitten air. "I'll see you when I get home?"  
  
Kayura shrugged, "Possibly. Though I think the Ronin will be awake by then. You may have to deal with their wrath alone until I get there."  
  
"Oh well. They'll have to bite me then."  
  
Laughter rang in the chilled air, "Don't tempt them, dearest." And with that, Humility was alone.  
  
"Oh well. Come on feet." She started walking across the field of green, towards the lake that lay ahead. I thought Ryo said that this place was dark and dead when Tulpa ruled. She looked across the lands, beauty was everywhere. Frozen beauty. Nothing moved, no bird sang, no wind brushed her cheek. Maybe it still is dead. but more like a frozen sleep.  
  
Humility soon found herself at the lake, and searching about it for the willow tree Kayura had described to her earlier. She found it, and walked to it. "Now how do I find the damn tunnel?" she ran a hand over the smooth surface of the willow tree, thinking that perhaps there was a mechanism to reveal a trap door. As she gently touched a small knot, there was a click, and the pale woman felt herself fall.  
  
"Damn it." She glared up at the opening, not 2 feet above her head, and then before her. There was hardly any light; save for a small hint of it at what seemed the end of the tunnel. Standing up, Humility set upon the task of walking through a few feet of water, which was cold and chilled her to the bones. I'm gonna get so sick from this. oh Jesus Christ.  
  
The tunnel ended suddenly, placing her before a statue of two sisters holding hands, it reached probably ten feet in height and the women were identical but for the fact that one held a sword in her left hand and the other held a ball of fire in her right. The Twins, Kayura had called it. There were other openings, paths off towards destinations unknown to her. The white-haired girl climbed upon the base of the statue, reaching up to the clasped hands.  
  
Another tunnel opened with a rusty grinding sound, and Humility had to cover her ears against the cruel noise. A hall of steep stairs led upwards, towards yet another source of light. She sighed, then began to haul herself up, no longer able to feel her toes.  
  
Payne felt another enter the Palace, but this was a presence that was familiar to him, though he knew not why. Standing, the man left his lover napping upon the couch, and left for the witch's cell beneath the Palace. As he approached it, he saw a small, dark figure hunched at the keyhole. "Not very easy, is it?"  
  
Humility leapt to her feet, gray eyes wide with startlement.  
  
"Angel!" he took a step back, he hadn't expected her. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Rescuing my friend." The girl's normally soft voice was cold to him, worst than that of his master's, "What are you going to do about it?" inside she was scared beyond her wits, but perhaps she could hide that behind anger.  
  
Emerald eyes met stormy ones, he knew what he had to do, "Help you." He smiled softly at her reaction, "Void and I have waited for centuries for you to return, it's time to choose sides." He ripped from his side a key ring and handed it to her, "It is the silver key. Unlock it and take her away, quickly. Or else Master shall have you as he wishes."  
  
Humility's hands shook as she took it, "You'll be punished."  
  
Payne shrugged, "Yes. But I will hurt myself in a way that will tell Master that I was taken by surprise. This will lessen my punishment." He motioned for her to proceed, then began to walk away. "Hurry. I cannot guarantee you more than ten minutes leeway time. Run, Angel. And hurry."  
  
She unlocked the door, then ran inside, only to sob at the sight. Poor Maia. The vibrant girl was covered only in black sheets, the clothes beside her were torn beyond recognition. "Goddess mercy." Humility knelt next to her friend, unlocking the shackle about her neck, "Maia?"  
  
At first, she tried to move away, until that pale face was placed with a name, Hugh. Maia whimpered, she didn't want the girl to see her like this. "Humility."  
  
"Shh. here. I brought extra clothes. Try and put them on and then we're gone. But hurry."  
  
Maia nodded, slipping on the other pair of loose cargo pants and sweater. Then she put on the socks and boots Humility handed her, confused as to why she was here. "What.?"  
  
"Later." Gray orbs became silver with anger, "We have to go, can you walk?" she helped her up as Maia nodded, "Good. Come on, before they realize we're gone." She took the darker hand and started to the secret door, leaving the keys upon the floor. Jarrol. you will pay for this.  
  
By the time they heard the alarms behind them, Humility and Maia were crawling out of the tunnel by the willow tree. One last glance, and they were back at the mansion, still holding hands. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
Maia called up the last of her energy and teleported herself from the yard in front of the mansion (that she recognized from Rowen's description as Mia's) to her bedroom. ::Do not worry about me Hugh, I have not been captured again, I only wish to be alone for now. Please don't tell them anything,:: she spoke into her friend's mind, ::Especially the magic.:: She collapsed onto her bed, sobbing uncontrollably. How can I ever face Rowen after this? He won't want anything at all to do with me!  
  
::Maia!:: the pale girl, frowned as the boys slowly came to where she stood in the yard, each upset, especially Sage, ::You need help...Sage can heal...please let him help you. I understand that you don't wish them to know about the magic, but please Maia...you need help.:: Humility's mind voice was full of worry for her. She understood how someone could hurt, and she didn't want her friends to go through that.  
  
"Where the Hell have you been?!" Ryo's sapphire eyes flickered with his mixed emotions of worry and anger, "All you did was leave a damn note. Didn't even explain anything, only that you were gonna save Maia..."  
  
::Maia... let me help you,:: she ignored Ryo, concentrating upon her friend's need.  
  
Linked as she was with Hugh, Maia could hear Ryo scold her. ::Ryo, do not be angry with her. She rescued me from Jarrol and that is all that you need to worry about,:: she told him, choosing to help Hugh rather than hide her magical abilities. ::I am home now and safe. I'll be fine by the time my papa gets back from the short business trip he had to take to Tokyo. It is Hugh that you need to worry about. She is the one that Jarrol wants, not I. Do not let him find her.:: She could feel the surprise in his thoughts, but she turned her attention to Hugh again. ::I will heal just fine, Hugh. I need to deal with this on my own for now. I promise that I will seek help when I am ready to. I simply cannot right now, I could not bear for any of you to know what happened there.::  
  
Jana hopped up onto the bed then and laid her head on her mistress's chest, whining softly. She did not like that her pup had been hurt yet again by another man. His scent was all over the girl and it made her angry.  
  
Scratching the dog behind the ears, Maia closed her eyes and let her tears fall silently down her face.  
  
::I can guess,:: the anger in Humility's voice was evident. She had seen the clothes, the blood, the fear. She understood what had happened, but she relented nonetheless, ::Just swear to me, Maia, that you'll get help soon. Just promise me.:: She looked to the boys, who now stood in utter shock at what Ryo had just told them, "Stop staring at me." Her voice was laced with exhaustion. "There's no reason he would want me or would gain from getting me. It's probably just a misunderstanding."  
  
Sai shook his auburn head, "Nay, Humility. It's too risky."  
  
"I say we call upon Kayura. She'll know everything we don't. She can explain." Kento moved closer to his lover, but not too close to let the others realize.  
  
"Forget you all." She threw her pack at Ryo, "I'm going to bed, dammit. Figure out what you're going to do while I'm sleeping. I'm about to fall down." Sage detached himself from the rest and followed her. ::Promise me, Maia. If you only do one thing for me in this life, swear to me you'll get help.::  
  
::I already have promised you, Hugh,:: Maia replied, her mind voice laced with exhaustion, sadness and pain. Within moments she had fallen asleep, too tired to even have nightmares.  
  
- = ^ * ^ = -  
  
Morning came much too soon and Maia slowly made her way into consciousness. She hadn't closed the blinds to her window and the sun was shining in her face, painfully bright. "That hurts," she said, covering her face with her pillow.  
  
The phone rang then. Though it was somewhat muffled by the pillow over her head, the shrill ringing was painful as well. Groping blindly for the phone, she clicked it on and brought it to her ear. "Hello?" she said, her voice a bit strained.  
  
"Maia?" she recognized the voice as Rowen's, "Thank God you're okay!"  
  
If you only knew how not okay I am right now, Maia thought sadly as she forced herself to sound a bit cheerful. "Of course I am. You didn't think that I'd let a kidnapping bring me down, did you?"  
  
"It's nothing to joke about, Maia. Do you mind if I come over? I just want to see you and make sure that you're okay." He sounded so unsure of himself, like he didn't know if she would want to see him or not. It was almost as if he blamed himself for her capture.  
  
I hate to do this to you Rowen, but I don't want you to see me right now. "Believe me, Rowen, I'm not laughing. As far as coming over, I'd rather you didn't. I don't really wish to see anyone right now, let alone someone I'm attracted to, because I'll be very mean. I'll see you tomorrow at school." She hung up the phone before he could reply and forced herself to climb out of bed. I'm sorry for hanging up on you but I can't let you see me like this. You'd know that I went through something awful and I don't want you to figure it out.  
  
She made her way to the bathroom where she turned on the water as hot as she could bear. While the tub was filling up, she undressed and looked herself over in the mirror. There were bruises all over her body and there was a big bump on the back of her head from where Void had hit her when he captured her. An ugly bruise marred her smooth cheek, right along the cheekbone and she winced as she pressed her fingers to it gingerly. Even if she did use illusion to hide the marks that Jarrol had left on her skin, they would still hurt. Turning away from her reflection, she stepped into the bathtub and eased herself slowly into the hot water, hoping to soak away the memories of Jarrol's body pressed against hers.  
  
Humility looked at Rowen expectantly as he hung up the phone. "Well?"  
  
He frowned, "She hung up on me. Told me that she'd rather I didn't come over to see her."  
  
"Go over there anyways, she needs to have someone around her," she replied, "Tell her I made you." She grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the door. "Go!"  
  
Rowen looked at her nervously as she handed him the keys to the Jeep. "Are you sure? What if she gets pissed at me?"  
  
"I'll yell at her. Go and take care of her."  
  
Maia sat up slowly when she heard the knock on the door. She wanted to use her Gift to find out who was there, but it still hurt too much. Instead, she pulled herself off of her bed and made her way slowly towards the door, taking care to cast an illusion over her bruises. What she found on the other side almost made her close it immediately. Rowen stood on the doorstep looking very unsure of himself and very concerned at the same time.  
  
"Uh, hi Maia," he said after he realized that the door wasn't going to get slammed in his face, "Look, I know you said not to come over, but I had to." He nearly turned around until he noticed her nod slightly.  
  
"You want to come inside?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She stepped aside to let him come in. Silently, she closed the door behind him, and led the way to her bedroom. "I'm afraid I don't have much to offer you in the entertainment department, I've been working on a song that came to me this morning," she told him as she took her place on her bed, gesturing for him to take a seat in the chair in front of her desk.  
  
"I didn't come over here for entertainment," Rowen replied, amazed at the way she had changed from the confident, vibrant girl he had danced with last night to the quiet, almost child-like girl of today. She seemed so defeated and lost.  
  
Jana padded softly into the room, stopping for a moment to inspect Rowen before jumping up onto the bed to bump her head gently against her mistress's cheek. A small sound escaped Maia's lips as Jana had accidentally hit the bruise on her cheekbone. Rowen was beside her in an instant. "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice full of concern.  
  
"It's nothing, I." she started then stopped as her eyes began to fill with tears. I will not cry, she told herself, even as she leaned toward him the tears spilling over. Her illusion shattered along with her control, leaving Rowen free to see the cuts and bruises that were visible on her face and bare arms and legs.  
  
"My God," Rowen swore softly, cradling her gently in her arms as she began to sob uncontrollably. "Oh Maia, I'm so sorry," he whispered as he stroked her hair. He found the large knot at the base of her skull and his hand stilled. I will kill that bastard for this, he swore silently.  
  
They sat there for nearly an hour before Maia's sobbing began to ease. Her breath came in short gasps as she leaned against Rowen's chest, regaining her composure. "I.I'm sorry," she whispered softly, pulling away slightly to wipe her eyes, "I didn't mean for you to find out how I looked and I didn't mean to lose control like that."  
  
"Maia, it's not your fault," he assured her in a soft tone. "And as far as how you look," he gave her half a smile, "Well, I'm not going to say you are looking just fine. I will tell you this, though. You don't have to hide from me."  
  
"I'm not saying I do. I just don't like it when people see me this way," she replied.  
  
"You sound like you've been in this kind of shape before," Rowen said, looking closely at her face.  
  
"Yeah, once," she admitted, not meeting his eyes, "Not quite as black and blue, but still hurting the same way." She glanced up quickly, hoping she hadn't let anything slip by that small admission. The quick flare of anger in Rowen's sapphire eyes told her he figured it out. Damn, she thought to herself, I didn't want anyone knowing about that here.especially not him. "Don't say anything, Rowen," she said, her eyes and voice pleading, "I don't need to go through what I did at my old school all over again."  
  
He looked surprised, "Why would I say anything? Whether you meant to or not, you confided in me, I don't betray people's confidences." For the look she gave him in response to his promise, Rowen would have done and promised anything for her.  
  
Maia leaned back against her headboard, pulling up her knees and resting her chin on them. She gave Rowen a searching look, "Why are you being so nice to me?"  
  
Rowen opened his mouth to reply then closed it abruptly. He thought about it for a bit, aware that Maia was waiting patiently for him to answer. "Because I like you, Maia," he replied, not meeting her eyes, "And I don't mean just as a friend. I'm drawn to you in a way that I've never been before." He blushed, "Girls have never really shown an interest in me anyways." He dared to meet her eyes afraid to find pity or even amusement. What he saw was a look that he sometimes saw in Hugh's eyes, that of sadness and very little self-worth.  
  
"You don't want to be involved with me, Rowen," she said softly, "You don't deserve someone that's been used and discarded."  
  
Rowen reached out and gently pulled her closer to him, lifting her chin so he could look into her eyes. "Maia," he said, in a soft tone, "You forget that I know what you have been through. If my interest in you had changed because of that, I wouldn't have told you that I like you. Why don't you let me decide what I do and do not deserve?" When she opened her mouth to disagree, he stopped her with a tender kiss.  
  
Maia sat with her eyes closed for a moment, still feeling the touch of his lips on hers. "I guess," she said, not meeting his eyes, "That you would know better than I."  
  
"Good," he said, smiling down at her, "It's settled." "Now, on another subject, or rather, related to the subject we just discussed.the bruises. I couldn't see them when you answered the door, then they just appeared."  
  
"Oh, that. I figure that by now, Ryo has told you about hearing my voice in his mind," she replied. At his nod, she continued, "I'm Gifted. I practice magic, and I don't mean the little tricks and illusions you see on TV, though I can do a lot of those, too. I can do real, physical magic. Summoning fire, moving the earth, things like that. Those aren't my strongest points, though. My mind magic is. Shields especially." She climbed off of the bed, stretched, and began to pace the room. "I put one on Hugh that should protect her for a while. It makes her physically invisible to anyone that is seeking her out to do harm. They can't sense her magically either."  
  
"That means that Ben won't be able to find her either, right?" Rowen asked.  
  
Maia stopped in her pacing and looked at him in surprise, "I didn't even think of that. Yes, it does." She frowned, "Payne and Void won't be able to find her here. However, Jarroll will be able to find her if he comes to the Mortal Realm himself. When he captured me, he." She stopped and drew in a slow breath, "He didn't know I was Gifted, but he could sense a touch of my power. I keep shields over myself that make me appear normal to those with magical abilities. He found them and.ripped through them. He knows everything about me, and that includes how to get past my shields." She laughed bitterly, "Without ripping through them, I mean."  
  
She paused again and glanced at Rowen. He was listening quietly, but she could see anger burning in his eyes. "He draws his power from pain and suffering. I provided him a night's entertainment thanks to his discovery of my Gifts." she said softly. She had to stop to steady herself again. "That's why he hungers for Hugh, though," she told him, her voice stronger, "She has so much pain inside her. It draws him like a moth to a flame." She stopped pacing and turned to face him, "As for the bruises. It was an illusion. I did it because I didn't want anyone to see me like I am right now. Unfortunately, they don't cover the tenderness, as you saw when Jana bumped into me. Normally I can control the illusions, no matter what state I'm in. But Jarrol used me badly. It hurts to use my magic, even something as simple as an illusion. When I lost control, my hold on the illusion slipped, too. Otherwise, you never would have known they were there."  
  
"Sage can heal the bruises," Rowen said, still going over this new information in his mind.  
  
Maia shook her head, "No, I'll let them heal on my own. I made the choice to put myself in Hugh's place, I'll suffer the consequences of it."  
  
Rowen's lips tightened but he nodded in understanding. "So where is your father?" he asked.  
  
"In Tokyo. He won't be back until the end of next weekend," she replied, "That'll be long enough for me to heal. I've got a very slight self- healing Gift, I heal quickly."  
  
"Are you saying that you'll be staying here by yourself for the next week?" he asked, not hiding the concern in his voice.  
  
"Aye, why do you ask?"  
  
"Because you escaped from Jarrol's. He's going to be having his little lackeys looking for you. You shouldn't be here alone when they do," he replied.  
  
"One of the first things I did when we moved in was to protect this house from prying eyes," Maia replied, "The magic is old, much older even than Jarrol himself. It's stronger than Jarrol as well, he won't find me here."  
  
"So you won't come and stay at the mansion until your father gets back?" he asked.  
  
She paused before answering. "I suppose I could put up the same wards there. It would be nice to have company rather than being here by myself all week," she said, partially to herself.  
  
An hour later, Maia had her bags packed and loaded into the back of her jeep. "I don't know how I let you talk me into this, Rowen," she said, motioning for Jana to jump in.  
  
"I'm just too irresistible for you to say no," he replied with a wink. "I'll see you at the mansion," he added, kissing her softly on the cheek before climbing into Mia's. The two of them pulled out of the driveway and headed towards Jewel Lake. 


End file.
